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Ryan, Ackley fully recovered from surgeries

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SEATTLE -- Mariners trainer Rick Griffin gave his annual health update at Wednesday’s pre-Spring Training media luncheon, and the report was unusually short after what Griffin said was a year when Seattle players had the fewest games on the disabled list in the Majors.

Griffin said shortstop Brendan Ryan and second baseman Dustin Ackley were both fully recovered from offseason arthroscopic surgeries to remove bone spurs. Ryan had his throwing elbow cleaned up, while Ackley repaired a sore left ankle.

Griffin said Ackley’s nagging issue certainly affected his hitting in 2012 as he struggled to push off his plant foot.

“You could ask him better, but I observed as well as some other people that he was really unable to stay on his back foot and drive off that leg,” Griffin said. “I think it hindered him quite a bit. He’ll probably never say that. But on some day games, he’d walk into the training room and we didn’t know if it was a 23-year-old or a 93-year-old.”

Griffin said Ryan is throwing up to 120 feet now and is hitting and “doing all the things he was unable to do last year prior to Spring Training. He’s feeling great.”

Center fielder Franklin Gutierrez will be at this weekend’s FanFest at Safeco Field and Griffin said he’s had an excellent offseason, including a strong showing in the Venezuelan Winter League.

“He’s not having any issues of any kind,” Griffin said. “Anything he’s had in the last three years, they do not exist. He’s going in with good frame of mind and we’re just hoping everything works out. He’s been snake bit the last three years, but hopefully this year we can get back to the way things were.”

Veteran right-hander Jeremy Bonderman, a non-roster invite who is coming back from Tommy John surgery, has already reported to Peoria, Ariz., to get some early work and is throwing off a mound. Griffin said he should be on the same schedule as the rest of the pitchers when camp opens Feb. 12.